WAVERLY, Iowa - The Concordia Wisconsin men's basketball team fell, 59-61, against UW-Eau Claire in the championship game at the Buzz Levick Tournament, hosted by Wartburg. The Falcons are now 1-2 at the end of the first two weeks of the season.
 
CUW faced a tough battle against the undefeated Bluegolds, who held the lead for over 87 percent of the contest.
 
Down by 11 points with less than five minutes left in the contest, the Falcons looked for a comeback. An 11-2 run in 1:43 by the Royal Blue and Gray gave the team a two-point lead over UW-Eau Clair. This was helped by a handful of fouls by the Bluegolds, which brought the Falcons to the charity strip three times. Senior Logan Landers (Cedarburg, Wis.) visited one, and junior Casey Verhagen (Sheboygan, Wis.) made the trip twice, with both players being perfect at the line. Landers also added a layup during the run, and sophomore Luke Eggemeyer (Perryville, Mo.) made a basket from beyond the arc.
 
Unfortunately, some key shots by UW-Eau Claire pushed them past Concordia Wisconsin.
 
Landers finished the game with his second straight double-double. This included 21 points and a career high 19 boards. The senior went 8-19 from the floor, a team high, and 4-6 from the free throw line. Verhagen also finished in double-digits with 15 points. The junior went 4-12 in field goals and 6-6 from the line.
 
On defense, junior Severin Hilt (West Bend, Wis.) and Eggemeyer had two blocks each. Verhagen grabbed half of the Falcons' six steals.
 
CUW will return to the court on Friday, Nov. 21, in St. Louis for the Webster Classic. The Falcons will play host, Webster, first at 8 p.m. in Grant Gymnasium. This will also be the first time in 21 years that the two squads will meet. The last time was in November of 2004 when the Gorloks beat the Falcons, 76-72.